1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, and a sheet feeding apparatus detachably mounted on the recording apparatus for automatically feeding sheets in succession, and more particularly to a guide member for defining a conveying path of the sheet.
2. Related Background Art
There have conventionally been proposed various image forming apparatuses for forming an image on a sheet.
Among such apparatuses, there has been proposed an apparatus provided with a recording apparatus for image recording (hereinafter called "printer") and an auto sheet feeder (hereinafter referred to as "ASF") detachably mounted on a sheet feeding port of the printer, wherein, through such sheet feeding port:
sheets are manually fed one by one when the ASF is not mounted; and PA1 sheets are automatically fed in succession when the ASF is mounted (see the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-183582).
In the image forming apparatus of the above-described type, the printer is provided with a guide member for guiding the sheet in case of sheet feeding with manual insert, while the ASF is provided with a guide member for guiding the sheet in case of automatic sheet feeding. These guide members are provided in approximately the same position in the transverse direction of the sheet, such that the image recording position in the transverse direction of the sheet (namely the position of image formation on the sheet, in the transverse or width direction thereof) remains the same in the sheet feeding with manual insert and in the automatic sheet feeding.
In the image forming apparatus of the above-described type, however, if the guide member of the printer is positioned at the inner side of the sheet compared to the guide member of the ASF because of the dimensional tolerance at the manufacture thereof, the guide member of the printer becomes an obstacle for the automatically fed sheets and may induce skewing or jamming of the sheet or damage to the sheet end.
Such drawback can be resolved by precisely assembling the image forming apparatus with highly precise parts, but such assembling is difficult and the use of the highly precise parts results in an increased cost.
Furthermore, even if the guide member of the printer and that of the ASF are provided in substantially the same position in the transverse direction of the sheet, a sheet eventually skewed will interfere with the guide member of the printer, thus inducing skew or jamming of the sheet or damage to the sheet end.